This week's new live comedy

Saturday 22 June 2013 01.00 EDT
First published on Saturday 22 June 2013 01.00 EDT

Nish Kumar, London and Coventry

Formerly of the consistently excellent, sadly under-appreciated sketch duo The Gentlemen Of Leisure, Nish Kumar is now making his own way in the world as a highly polished, subtly innovative stand-up. Where some young comics can obscure their best jokes with waffle, he nails the punchlines over and over again, thanks to taut, economical writing that puts audience pleasure firmly ahead of self-indulgence. While Kumar describes himself as a "British Asian gentleman", he refuses to be easily pigeonholed; some of his well-crafted tales allude to racial prejudice and culture clashes but he doesn't trade off audience preconceptions about his ethnicity for cheap laughs. Kumar is astute enough to grasp that what's funny about him isn't that he's Indian; it's that he's an over-educated, emotionally under-developed schoolboy who's all at sea with the demands of contemporary London living. His is a talent worth catching up with.

Hackney Attic, E8, Mon; Warwick Arts Centre, Fri

Felicity Ward: The Hedgehog Dilemnma, London

Booze plays a big part in the life of many stand-ups, as you'd expect from a career that revolves around insecurity, late nights and a working environment that 99 per cent of the time includes a bar. Booze played a big part in the life of Felicity Ward, too: making her do things she didn't want to do, say things she didn't want to say, and generally helping her make a fool of herself. That's until she cut it out, and gained a fresh perspective on life that's only enhanced her first-class comic skills. Ward's a high-energy comic who uses plenty of physical silliness as part of her shtick which adds a layer of overwhelming amiability to what could be some rather sad stories, as she lays herself bare about some bad choices and bad break-ups in the course of this award-nominated show. The titular dilemma refers to a problem with intimacy because of a fear of getting hurt or causing pain (it's the spikes, see).

Soho Downstairs, W1, Sat

Tom Deacon, Leicester

On the face of it, Tom Deacon might look like slightly too manufactured a proposition. A face of BBC3 and Radio 1, he wears young-man clothes, has young-man hair, and is obviously a lot of influential people's idea of the sort of thing young men laugh at. Fortunately, he's also a mighty fine comic who transcends these badges to offer bona fide big laughs for all ages. He may lack a little life experience, but he more than compensates for that by nailing the preoccupations of his peer group: the endless laddish games, the love of banter, and the polite refusal to go about the serious business of growing up. Sure, he's going to strike a particular chord with those of his own age, but there's a playfully mischievous spirit about Deacon's stand-up that should resonate with everyone. What's more, tonight he's joined by the equably capable Ava Vidal.